The Western Han Dynasty co-existed with the Roman Republic. At the beginning, the Han Dynasty had both inherited and modified the system of its predecessor, the Qin. It inherited the Qin administration that penetrated the society down to the grassroots levels of counties and townships, but allowed relative autonomy to the local elite lineages. It inherited most of Qin’s legal regulations, but eliminated some of the mutilating punishments. It inherited (albeit with certain compromises) the centralized power framework, but upheld “governing through non-action” to allow the people to recuperate after devastating domestic wars.